Cry for the Big Bad Wolf
by Vahditar
Summary: The trouble starts when Fabeltown's sheriff needs not just to help the strange mundy kid in searching for her mother, but also her place between the two worlds, Mundies and Fables.
1. Once there was a little wolf

**TO THE OLD READERS:** As I was in hiatus and now I'm returning back to this story, reading again through the chapters, I found some things in the story not as good as I thought when I wrote them. So I started to write this again, fixing the problems and so on.  
However, because of some 's features (keeping reviews though their chapters are no longer existing for example) I decided to completely wipe out the story's old account to start from clean table.  
So that the reviews from the older version won't confuse the possible new readers and that it's more clearer to everyone that this is a new version.

Enough said, this is the new version of Cry for the Big Bad Wolf, hopefully much better than the old one.

Hopefully you'll enjoy!

* * *

 **Bigby's Office**  
The Woodland Building  
Sometime at late night

Bigby, aka the Big Bad Wolf aka Sheriff Wolf, leaned back on his office chair and run a hand against his face.  
Damn he felt tired.  
Pinching the bridge of his nose with heavy sigh, his warm brown eyes looked at the working desk.  
It was messy, everything covered under layers of papers.  
Papers, letters, reports, notes... They where mostly complaints. Angry, frustrated, some more or less impolite, complaints.  
And he had been going through the whole stack through the whole day and yet, it didn't seem any lesser.  
In his tired, cranky mind Bigby thought, that maybe someone had slipped in more papers, or put on an illusion spell, when he hadn't been looking.  
But that was very unlikely. He would have noticed and it had been just him in the small room the whole time. There was just... So damn many of these papers.  
He needed an assistant or some kind of helper to sort all of these.  
Just like Snow White had Bufkin.

Deciding to end for today the sheriff pulled out cigarette pack from his blouse's breast pocket. Taking one cigar between his lips he lit it.  
One smoke and he would drag himself to his apartment, leave the paper pile like this. It wasn't like this pile would disappear anywhere nor get any smaller on its own.  
Inhaling the bitter taste and then letting it out the wolf man watched the rising, swirling smoke.  
He thought about how things were nowadays.

Four months had gone after the Crooked Man's case, when all the nasty problems of Fable community had been brought into the broad daylight.  
Blackmailing, threats, illegal glamours' black marketing, slavery, corruption, murders…  
It all had been fucked up when Wolf and Snow finally had discovered what had gone on for years, as the Crooked man had taken control of everything from the shadows. And Ichabod Crane, who still was hiding somewhere overseas, would probably never come back after his working for Crooked man being revealed.  
Well, that was just good.  
Because if Bigby would ever see that shitty weasel again, he would rip the man's head off and toss it down the Witching Well.  
...That was the thing that Bigby really had wanted to do also for the Crooked man, back then, but… He hadn't.  
Maybe it was a good thing too, as how the things had settled.

But even if Crane, Crooked man and his minions were out of the picture, it didn't make things any less messy than they were.  
After all that sheriff Wolf and Snow White had their hands full. Fixing things that Crane neglected and Crooked man exploited for years.  
 _Trying to make things right_ _by the book_ had sounded good, when Snow had said it.  
Back then.  
In the beginning the sheriff and the new mayor hadn't been sure where to start, searching for the wiggling tail of this whole damn thing. And when they had found it, the shit pile of problems just kept building up without an end.  
...There had been changes though, good kinds of.  
At least to Bigby it seemed, that there was less things wrong every month as he and Snow tried to do their best to fix them. Listen everyone, help everyone, do good for their community.  
But Fables still weren't fully trusting and that made fixing things difficult. Bigby and Snow hadn't even had time to... Well, talk.  
Although he wasn't truly sure what they should talk about, outside the work he meant.  
It was complicated.  
He took another deep inhale from cigarette.  
At least the hard work had been noticed by many and, even if few, had started to trust on the Big Bad Wolf. It was unnerving yet a good feeling for Bigby, being accepted and his efforts being noticed. And appreciated even.  
Although, doing his work wasn't as easier as it had been, when he could freely do things on his own way. But no, he liked more of this, even if it was hard sometimes.  
It was much better this way.

The ringing of the office phone startled the wolf man, dropping his cigarette into his lap and he trying to pat it away while searching for the damn ringing thing from under the papers.  
Picking the phone up he answered with his deep, rough voice.

 _"This is sheriff Wolf."  
"Bigby, it's me."  
"_ _ **Holly**_ _? What's wrong?"  
"Listen, I know it's late and all but could you come here to the Trip Trap? We need you to… Look at something."  
"What is it?"  
"I... I can't talk about it right in the phone now. We have here **some kind of** situation on."  
_ _ **"Just tell that fucker to come here already."  
**_ _"_ _ **Gren**_ _, shut up will ya. So, will you come here?"_  
 _"I'm on my way Holly."_

* * *

 **The Trip Trap Bar  
** The Bronx

Bigby repeated the call as he sat on the back of a taxi.

The conversation at the phone hadn't been very long and had held in so little information as Holly didn't tell… Well, _anything_ about the situation in the bar.  
So Bigby was trying to think what it might be, that would make Holly call him.  
The bartender and the owner of the Trip Trap Bar was never easy to ask his nor anyone's help.  
Not over a little thing at least.  
Holly was, in all respect, a strong _troll_ woman who could take care of herself and her bar on her own. Especially if Grendel was there, which he mostly was, as that troll man was very fond of her and therefore ready to do anything for Holly.  
Bigby didn't need to _smell_ it to know that there was something between those two.  
Not even dozen of Huff & Puff cigarettes could cover it, unfortunately.

So it was something that even Gren couldn't take care of then.  
Like a giant going on berserk or... Murder?  
Hopefully not, not another one, they didn't need those. One more Fable murder would be too much for Snow White right now and Bigby didn't want that either.

The taxi came to stop and the sheriff got out right in front of the stairs that would lead down to the bar's front door.  
Stepping down the Wolf listened carefully, if there was any alarming voices or something in there, but as he stood in front of the door... It was quiet.  
Mild silence was nothing new at the Trip Trap, it was that kind of place. Mostly regulars came here like Woody, Gren –obviously-, Toad, Jack and other Fables.  
But the complete silence behind the door at this time was something different. There wasn't even background music to pick up. It was ominous.  
Sheriff didn't hesitate to walk in and look around, searching for anything deviant.  
There was no crazy giant, no blood anywhere, no Mundy reporters taking pictures of uncovered Fable nor naked Woody dancing on the counter.  
Ugh, the mental image, no. Never, why?

Apart from missing music, everything looked like as usual as it always was here. Even Holly and Gren were on their usual spots, she behind the counter and Gren on his regular barstool.  
But the two Fables kept glancing at the backroom's door which was closed. Then they noticed him.

Bigby walked to stand next to Gren and raised a brow to them in questioning manner. He took a cautious sniff.  
Nope, no blood. Just the scents of Holly, Gren, him and then-  
"It's about fucking time you got here, _Sheriff_ ", Grendel greeted in his typical grumpy way, calling Bigby by his title sarcastically even, and leaned against the counter. Though there was a small smirk playing on his face...  
Holly in other hand looked at the Sheriff with a thoughtful expression, her arms crossed and chin slightly down.  
Bigby wasn't sure what to gather from their mixed signals, but maybe it had something to do with the fourth scent he had picked up. He had never smelled this one before, it was coming from a stranger.

The strange scent was like air in a summer after a storm and thunderbolts. As if the air was clear, fresh and light. The thunderbolts leaving behind hint of electric tone. There was also traces of cold streets, dirt and sweat.  
"Holly, you called me and here I am. What's going on?" the Wolf went straight to the business, not sure should he be suspicious or what, as Holly had called him here so... What was the problem?

Unexpectedly it was Gren who talked.  
"You won't _believe_ what Holly and I found. Or what came here, if you want to put it that way", the Fable man said with a sly smirk. "Say, Mr. Wolf... You have any… Ex-bitches in the closet, or has there been any addition in the family of yours?"  
The very much odd, absurd sentence confused Bigby greatly. But also made him glare, for Gren using the b-word and talking about his family.  
This whole thing was starting to irritate him.  
Gren was not a talker. Libelous and sarcastic, yes, but still not talking if it was not important.  
And Holly absolutely was not the one to beat around the bush for anything as she was a bold... _Troll lady.  
_ She spoke as the things were, a thing that Bigby liked at her.

Finally Holly started explaining.  
"Yeah... Bigby, look. I don't usually ask for help, but in this one we don't know what to do, definitely not in _this_ particular one. If it was some stupid asshole trying some shit, we would had handle it already. But it's not. So, I just called for you so you could... You know, take care of it. This... Her. Fuck, just take her somewhere. This isn't place for a kid", the troll lady was explaining and glancing to the closed door.  
"Okay.." Sheriff said unsurely, a bit bewildered by the mention of a kid. Now he also was glancing at the door.  
He spread his arms while looking back at the two.  
So this was about someone, _a_ _kid_ , _her_. Couldn't they be more precise?  
"Just tell me what is going on and I'll look what I can do."

"I found a Mundy kid", Holly blurred out, then corrected herself more calmly: "Or a kid came here. A mundy kid. Kinda. She came here on her own."  
Bigby was not expecting that nor understanding why it was this big of a problem.  
Why they needed him? They could just have called Mundy police to fetch the kid and-  
"First I thought she was just a lost Mundy kid, you know? Trying to look for her parents. A bar isn't the first place to look for though, unless you got one of those shitty parents... Anyhow, I was going to get her out, there were other Fables around but then... Well, she chang-"  
"She is a fucking _half-Fable_ " Gren spoiled, chuckling and smirking like crazy as Holly glared at him. She turned her gaze back to the Sheriff.  
"Yeah, it seems so." Holly glanced again to the door.  
"She just changed while starting to cry, but not wholly. The changing I mean. And she doesn't have a glamour and she was so confused of our questions so we just thought that she's some kind of... I don't know, a half-breed?"  
Bigby stared at the two, stunned.  
Grendel laughed even more when seeing Wolf's dumbfounded face. This was better than any fight or pay back to see that dumb look on the lapdog's face!

Bigby started walking straight to the door, Gren trying to hold his hurting ribs, but Holly stopped the Wolf and told Gren to shut up. She didn't want either of them to wake up their little _guest_ in the backroom with this kind of ruckus.  
Would just frighten the girl again.

Bigby wasn't sure what to think about this, at all, and he glanced from the door to Holly.  
They were serious?  
A half-Fable? They really existed?  
"What exactly happened?" Bigby asked.  
"I'll tell the whole thing. Gren, shut up already, it's not that funny anymore."  
"It is!"

* * *

Bigby leaned against the backroom's open doorway, arms crossed and brows hunching over his thoughtful gaze  
The backroom was dim. The only light source coming from behind him and creating a long shadow over the small, sleeping figure in backroom's bunk.

Holly had told how the kid had walked into the bar, all nervous and out of place.  
And when Holly had told the kid to go away, the girl had not left. Instead, the kid had started asking about her mother, describing and asking had her mother been there.  
First Holly had just tried to ignore the questions and get the kid out but the kid didn't take any steps back.  
Not even when Gren finally got fed up.  
That's when things had really started to go down hill, as the kid started to spat out that she wasn't afraid of freaks. Holly had been forced to use some of he troll _charm_ to get everyone keep their places and not get to the girl who, despite her attitude and words, was shaking.  
And the girl, seemingly, transformed.  
Half-Fable likely, whatever that exactly meant. There weren't much about them as they were, ironically, like _fable_. There just weren't supposed to be them, or at least there hadn't been any _yet_.  
Not many Fable thought such _things_ between Mundies and Fables, nor even was _it_ possible.  
But yeah, back to the kid and what had happened.

After the girl's transformation and the tense situation Holly finally had it. The troll woman ordered everyone, expect Gren and the girl, to get out as the bar was closed for today. In the end the two trolls calmed the child down and talked, getting nothing out of her, and so the girl ended up sleeping in the backroom from exhaustion.

Bigby could imagine everyone's surprise and confuse at that moment when the girl changed.  
Half-Fable…  
There were no information about them, only a handful of non-proved rumors and even those were known by not so many.  
Because half-Fables… There really weren't them, they were something that you didn't even think about because it wasn't even certain could Mundy and Fable have any offsprings. And nobody had tried that, at least not that they knew, so unless the half-breed's Fable parent was something _very_ different, like a dragon or a fairy, nobody would spot a half-breed from Mundies.  
There weren't even any mentions of them in the Business office's books, although Bigby hadn't really looked for the information.  
But whatever the rumors said, Bigby had always trusted his senses and he would also do that now. His senses were telling him that there was _a person_ in Holly's bunk.  
A person who needed help.

From the doorway he could smell and see the so called _half-Fable_ , he just had to see for himself that the child was what the trolls said.  
…Which was soon, he just needed to… Think, how to talk to the… Child. The small... Thing.  
Bigby scratched his head, staring at he bunk.  
He really wasn't good with kids, if being honest, didn't feel easy around them.  
Maybe because he was _a wolf_ : people always pictured wolves as monsters who ate children and babies and so children were instinctively scared of them. And children were so tiny, and fragile. And they run around and yell, which by the way hurt his ears a hell of lot, and they asked awkward questions, stared awkwardly and-  
"She has slept for an hour now, so you can wake her up anytime you want", Holly hinted, teasingly, as she and Gren studied the Big Bad Wolf.  
He _almost_ looked like being _scared_ by the little thing.  
A child? The Big Bad Wolf?  
It was funny situation to witness, almost paid back to Gren the time when the Sheriff gave him a beat-up and almost ripped his arm off.  
They also wanted to see how Bigby was going to response to the _one thing_ about the girl.  
"It's not gonna bite you, Sheriff", the troll man rushed after some waiting, earning a glare from the Wolf.  
Gren's smirk just got wider.  
"Shut up."

Taking his attention from the troll man Bigby steeled himself and started approaching the sleeping kid, thinking what was the best way to wake her up. Standing next to he bunk, looking down, he really couldn't think anything good.  
Well, he had do start somewhere.  
"Hey, kid."  
…Nothing, the small bundle under the thick blanket just slightly moved and he could see the dark-brown hair peeking from under it.  
He lightly poked the child through the cover.  
"Hey, wake up", the gruff, demanding voice and poking woke up the child.  
Really woke her up for good.

The blanket fell as the girl shot up, standing on the bed and scrambling against the wall.

Bigby was taken back by the strong reaction, but that was _not_ what made him take a step back.  
It was the transformation on the girl that happened, when she rose up.  
She stared him back with one _golden feral_ _eye_ and with one normal light brown. And she _growled_ while revealing her _canine teeth_ to him. There was _fur_ , same color as her hair, growing unevenly on her face that had a slight change into more beast-a-like. Some of her fingernails blackened and sharpened, some didn't.  
All in all, her form kind of reminded of Bigby's own half-transforming, but more unevenly.  
But wait, she… She was half- _wolf_ -Fable?

The little girl snarled at him, more with a warning than scariness this time.  
Well, she had stood her ground against a grumbling troll when Gren had lost his nerve. And after that a room full of Fables.  
You have to raise a hat for that.  
Bigby was so surprised of this wolf-thing reveal that he forgot to keep himself in check.  
He too half-transformed.  
The girl muted after seeing that, being for a moment as much surprised as Bigby was, the two –well, one and a half- pair of feral eyes staring at each other.  
Holly and Gren were at the doorway and not so amused anymore. They were concerned.  
They weren't so sure anymore that the Sheriff would be _so nice_ to the kid, as the two beast ones were transformed and staring at each other.  
Or would the girl do… Something, attack in fear or runaway.  
And they wouldn't have any of that, they maybe were trolls but not monsters.

In this odd, tense and surprised situation Bigby took a good look at the pup.  
The girl was small, maybe not even older than ten years, and she had short, straight hair. There seemed to be old, small scar over her right eyebrow.  
She was wearing black hoodie, blue jeans and red sneakers that had cartoonish bones pattern on them.  
Bigby stared at the girl, hearing her racing heartbeat and smelling strongly the fear radiating from her. It was the smell that made him snap out of it, shake his head to get his focus on and changing back into normal human form.  
The girl didn't follow his lead though.  
She kept showing her whole set of canine teeth and glared, even though Bigby could see her shaking against the wall.  
In other situation, if Bigby was more of his old self and the girl lot older, he had taken the girl's act as a threat for a challenge.  
But that wasn't the case now, no, the girl was just a pup who was scared.  
He needed to calm her down to get information of her situation and maybe to help her.

"Hi", Bigby tried to say in gentle way, even trying to smile but only heard small puppy-like-growl coming out again.  
He really wished Snow would be here with him, she knew how to talk to… Children.  
"Listen, kid", the Wolf hold his hands up and decided just go right to the business. "I'm not here to hurt you, I'm trying to help. I am Sheriff Wolf."  
The child watched him carefully, his hands and his posture, clearly thinking what Bigby was: a threat, or something else?  
Her sharp gaze made Bigby feel uneasy.  
He always thought children had this kind of creepy way to stare at people. Like seeing through you, straight to the bottom of your soul and judging you.  
Creepy feeling as hell.

"You don't look like a sheriff", the girl finally spoke, looking him closely. "You don't have a badge or a star with you?"  
A two muffled chuckles made them look to the doorway, and the two Fables there.  
"It's okay, I called him here. He really is the Sheriff", Holly assured.  
"But not fucking good one if you ask me", Gren had to add, his arms crossed.

The wolf man was, more than just a little, surprised to _hear_ and _see_ the girl's glare changing into a shy smirk and chuckling to Gren's words.

From the girl's side to be told, she kinda liked the two trolls.  
They were cool, as miss Holly named lady owned the bar and how she had told even the scariest guys before just piss off. And mister Grendel –or Gren as he preferred- was… Well, at first she had been… Intimidated by him, but she liked the way he said things like they were, bluntly and unafraid.  
Yeah, they were cool and especially as Holly had promised to help her.  
So if they said so, although Gren's comment was a little sketchy, she could trust this _sheriff_ Wolf, right?  
At least for now.  
The girl relaxed somewhat, her form changing to human as her both eyes changed to light brown ones and claws and teeth turned back to normal and the fur faded away.  
She also fell to sit on the bed, still leaning against the wall and looking cautiously up to the strange man.

Bigby thought it was for the best if he squat in front of the child, so he wouldn't seem so big and intimidating by being on the same eye level with her.  
But it didn't help, she crossed her arms and lowered her chin, staring at him in that creepy way again like all children do.  
See? He just wasn't good with kids.  
"So… What's your name, pup?" Bigby started questioning and took out a cigarette, but then rethought while putting it between his lips. Was it okay to smoke in front of a pup?  
"I'm not a _pup_ ", she corrected him. "I'm a human child. And name's Aleine", she answered shortly and Bigby nodded. Good, she was cooperating with him, they wouldn't get very far if she would just keep her mouth shut.  
"Okay, Aleine. Where's your mother? Or dad? Or whoever watches after you."  
She seemed to think about it for a minute, gaze going from Bigby to Holly and Gren and back to Bigby.  
"You really don't know where my mom is?" she asked  
"I wouldn't be asking if I would know. I don't even know what her name is."  
There was a change in the girl's gaze, like a twig that somebody bends so much, that it starts to creak and crack under the pressure. Aleine's brows hunched, worry coating her face and he could hear her heartbeat raising slightly.  
"What's your mother's name?" Bigby kept asking while holding his unlit cigarette between forefinger and thumb.

"Julia. Julia Bates. Brown, long hair. Green eyes. Couple of… Scars on right cheek. Human", the child started to give description of her mother in a fast pace, looking at Bigby like he should know someone like that. There was somewhat desperation, worry, creeping into her voice as she continued.  
"You know someone like that, right? You have seen my mother?"  
Putting the unused cigarette to his breast pocket Bigby answered truthfully: "Sorry, Aleine, but… We don't keep any _humans_ with us. We like to keep our extinct in secret from Mundies you see, I mean from humans."  
And why he was telling- Well, the kid kind of was like them, and yet was not at the same time.  
But if she now was a half-Fable, they maybe had to do something about it. Her being what she was actually gave to this whole situation a new, heavy weight as how to go from here.  
But for now, this was about a pup searching for her mother.

Aleine lowered her gaze, feeling pressure behind her eyes. Her chest was clenching and fear was consuming her thoughts fast. It had been days as she had searched for mom, trying to find something to get in tracks, just wandering and not knowing where to go. She had suspected the freaks but they didn't have mother, they didn't know her even. So if mama weren't with them then where was she? She couldn't just-  
…It has been already _days_.  
The girl lowered her face so that her hair fall like a curtains. She was hugging herself and what Bigby could tell, she was trying hard not to cry. Swallowing silently every sniffle and kept taking steady breaths.

The Sheriff rubbed his chin covered in stubble and felt uneasy while looking at Aleine. He felt like he had done something wrong now with the kid by making her cry. Bigby looked at the doorway in lost, but the trolls weren't there.  
Looks like they as well didn't feel comfortable with sad kids. Figures. This is why he didn't want to deal with children. He made them cry in some point even if he didn't try to and then he didn't know how to fix them.  
"Listen, Aleine." he tried to calm the other one. "You really don't know where you mother is?"  
"No", the girl answered quietly, not looking at him. "That's why I'm looking for her", she added with some sharpness, frustration.  
"…Is she a… Really a human? She doesn't turn to something different or do some… Non-human things? She doesn't talk about Fables?"  
The girl lifted her gaze, her brows knitting together for the unrecognized word.  
"What's that? _Fables_?" she asked, like Bigby had called her mother by names, but at least her reaction told that her mother didn't seem to be a Fable but a Mundy. Or then the mother hadn't told about her origins.  
"Fables are…" Bigby trailed off, not sure how to explain to the kid about them. How would he put it for a child? Well…  
"Like characters from stories, but real ones, you have heard stories right?"  
Damn stupid question, even the kid looked at him like she thought that way.  
"Yeah... For example, I'm the Big Bad Wolf."

Aleine's eyes widened from the revelation, forgetting the growing worry about her mother for a moment. Big Bad Wolf? Really? Then she looked at him skeptically, making that creepy, piercing stare again.  
"You don't look…"  
Like a wolf?  
"Like a _bad_ person." she cocked her head to one side. "In stories Big Bad Wolf is usually the evil one and threatening others. And saying to eat them, all the time."  
Yet again the girl made him speechless. He didn't know should he take that as a compliment or be worried of his reputation.  
In second thought, he wasn't supposed to look scary for the pup now.  
"And what… Are Holly and Gren?" the girl looked at the empty doorway. Holly came back though, hearing Aleine's question, and Gren followed the bartender right behind.  
"Just trolls", Holly summarily said.  
"Oh." The girl blinked her eyes couple of times, and the Fables weren't sure was the kid really believing them. But then she said.  
"So freaks, monsters, they are… Fables?"  
"Fuck no we are freaks", Gren growled. "Who the fuck is saying that kind of shit?"  
"N- Sorry", the girl apologized with slight wariness.  
"Aleine", Bigby called her attention back to him. "Where's your father then?"  
"I don't know."  
"He's… Dead, or missing too?"  
"I don't- No, mama never speaks about him."  
"And your mother is not a- She's an ordinary _human_?"  
"Yes, she is", the girl was getting annoyed by all these stupid questions, especially about her mother being human. Again she showed some of her teeth.  
"She isn't frea- _Fable_. I haven't seen her so I started looking for her, then I… Saw a freak, and followed him here, because mama always says that you are nothing but trouble and don't like humans, so I thought you have done something to her as she said you would if you knew about me and now you say you don't even know her and-"  
"Hey, calm down pup", Bigby was sure she was going pass out if not taking a breath. And she had seen a Fable? Bigby wasn't sure was the kid lying, was it a good coincidence, mistake-  
"I'm not a pup! I'm a human girl! I am _not_ a freak!" she almost shouted, the transforming of her happening again.

There was a small silence in the backroom, only Aleine's sounds of angry and some panic muttering as she noticed her transformations. She hugged herself tighter and bowed her head like trying to hide her appearance from them.  
 _Damn. Fuck. Not again, why is this happening? It is **not**_ _supposed to happen! Fu- Mama is gonna be mad. So mad. She will be… Go away. Go away!  
_ After taking a few deep breaths, the freak form fading away, she looked at Bigby with teary eyes.

He didn't know what to do with upset kid, truthfully, he didn't know how to make her more calm.  
"Why didn't you just go to police?"  
Of course it wasn't a good idea. The girl's transformations seemed to be out of control, which gave even more questions to Bigby, but shouldn't Aleine still had done that at first? Contact the Mundy police?  
"Mama said I can't show to people alone, without her. Because I… May change. And get into big trouble. You fre- Fables, don't want to be revealed to humans, so if you know I'll exist, you'll come and take mom away from me. So when she didn't come back I thought that you… Just did that, took her."  
But they didn't have mama, so they said, they didn't even know her.

The Wolf pondered this information, _this whole situation_ , for a moment because this was something that he wasn't so sure how to proceed.  
Aleine is a half-Fable, but her missing mother was Mundy. So, technically, this wasn't their case, his case, to take.  
This was something that Mundy police should be working on.  
But in other hand Aleine is half-Fable, and that was something that would put them, Fables, all in a risk by her randomly transforming among the humans.  
 _How_ had this happened? _Who_ was the Fable-father here and _where_ was he? _Who else_ knew about this kid and her origin, _how many_ had seen her transformations? _Who_ Aleine had seen so that she had recognized them as a Fable?  
Snow is going to _flip_ when she hears all about this.

Bigby closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, breathing deeply.  
This was a big thing now, there was just so many damn questions that-  
A sound from the girl stopped the Wolf's thoughts, getting his attention.  
He glanced at Aleine, the half-Fable, and thought what he saw.  
She saw scared, little child who obviously was worried of her mother and didn't seem to have anyone to help her. Being all alone but still trying to do her best to solve things by herself and help her mother.  
There was something personal, very familiar to Bigby with the scene here.  
"It's… Alright, Aleine", he said, moving his right hand towards the girl.  
He just tried to pat her head but the kid snarled in a little voice and flinched more away from him.  
So no touching. Got it.  
"I'm not going hurt you", explained while retreating his hand. "I'm here to help."  
"…You are?" even though she tried to glare with suspiciousness, she couldn't fool the Sheriff Wolf. The child was a little bit hopeful.  
He smiled to her.  
"Sure. It's my job as a Sheriff to help people", there was a dry, low chuckle from the doorway but Bigby ignored it completely: "And I will also help you, if you only want me to."


	2. Who was all alone

**The Taxi**  
New York City  
Late...

Aleine had accepted mister Bigby's help.  
Like there was any other way.  
She was too afraid to go to the police. Just thinking of going there was making her skin itch in a way when she grows hair where it shouldn't.  
And what would the police do? Could they find mom? Even if it was the monsters who had taken her? Would they punish mom for leaving Aleine alone at home? Would they take mom away? Would they take Aleine away? What if they would notice that Aleine wasn't completely human? What would they do? What would they-  
And she didn't know many adults here, not so much she could trust with them with this kind of big secret.  
Nor could she navigate here yet...

She _had_ concerned it but then thought better of it, that if she would really talk to someone… About… The monsters, of these Fables, and of what she could do, then _the freaks_ would come after her and brought her to her mother, if they had her.  
But this man, mister Bigby, told they didn't have mom and didn't even know of her and Aleine. They didn't seem to want any harm to them also, though that could be just a trick.  
Mom said freaks were tricksters, liars and dangerous.  
She didn't know mister Bigby, he was a stranger. He could just easily lie to her, lead her to a trap or do something bad.  
But… There was _something_ in this stranger that whispered to Aleine that he wasn't lying. There wasn't anything off about him nor in his words.  
You see, Aleine had been good at telling when people lied to her or her mother. It was kind of a talent, you could say. Someone lied and Aleine could sense there was something off about them, how they said it, looked at her or away from her, the way their body acted.  
And mister Bigby's body language was easy to read, when he talked to her and looked straight to her eyes, holding himself up without flinching.  
He seemed very open, not hiding things.  
But still, he was a stranger. Who had promised to help her.  
She could trust on him for now.

 _And_ there really wasn't any other options. Not without risking everything.  
She really couldn't do this alone, she was just a kid even though she tried to show others she didn't need help but she had no idea where to go or where to search.  
Who to talk to and who to suspect. Where to start, what kind of clues to look for or who could want to hurt mom, or- She- She just…  
There was _no_ other way, not that Aleine saw at least now. And she was really starting to get hungry again… Chips and water back at the bar before sleeping hadn't been enough at all.  
And she didn't know the way back to home anymore, as she had wandered to places she wasn't familiar with for couple of days.  
So yes, she had accepted mister Bigby's help.

Being helped by one of the frea- _Fables_ … It didn't mean though that Aleine wasn't confused at all by whole this. She had some mixed emotions.  
Before this, Aleine had _never_ met any freaks, _fables_ she meant, before.  
Or, maybe one time. She and some kids were sure that one man in her previous neighborhood was a boogieman but she never got an answer was he or wasn't he.  
So no, she hadn't met before any freaks and now in one day she had gone to a bar where _everyone_ had been one. She had met trolls now, the Big Bad Wolf himself and she hadn't even recognize some of those who had transformed in the bar!  
She had seen the freaks now, talk to them, told about herself and mother even though she wasn't supposed to… And…  
And they weren't so…  
Scary, after all what mother had told to her. Okay, they were _a little_ bit scary at first, but after a while they seem to be just as normal as humans are.  
For example, this Bigby man had been really scary at first with his eyes and his face and- Well, everything about him as he had stood there next to the bed suddenly. But now he was helping her and he seemed okay, for now.  
And he had _promised_ to help her to find mom.

As the two of them were sitting on the backseats of the taxi, on opposite sides, Bigby glanced at the girl. Just slightly, from the corner of his eye as he didn't want to scare her by staring.  
At the Trip Trap the pup at least seemed to get easily agitated.  
So, after the girl had accept his help, Bigby had asked some information from Holly. Like who had been in the bar when the kid had come in, and would the two trolls be quiet about this and so on.  
He was just trying to contain this situation's effect on the Fables. Bigby at least didn't want everyfable running to the _Woodlands_ and wanting to see the half-fable or go bewildered.  
Hopefully everyone who were in there when Aleine changed were either too drunk or too confused to think anything about it or spread the rumor.  
A half-fable among them…

But all that needs to wait for tomorrow as they now were going to the Woodlands, to his apartment.  
It was late, the Office was closed, the Wolf was tired and the kid probably too was still tired. They would sleep through this night and start unraveling this mess in the morning.  
The kid seemed to nod off now and then when he looked, her eyes closing and head leaning against the window. Sleeping at the Trip Trap's backroom hadn't made much it seemed.  
Although, who knew how long the pup had been in the streets, looking for her mother? That must had been really exhausting to a tiny pup like her.

"So, pup-"  
"Aleine." she corrected and boldly moved gaze to him, rubbing with one hand her tired eyes. Or was she crying? Please no, he didn't know how to deal- No, she was just sleepy, no tears, good.  
"Aleine", the sheriff started again with serious, somewhat concerned expression.  
"How long has this been going on, you looking for you mother? When did you last time see her?"  
The pup's expression changed from sleepy to a hard thinking one, as she looked at her hands which were resting on her thighs.  
And when Bigby looked down, he noticed her fingers where twitching. Or not twitching, just moving slightly and her gaze was on them.  
Then she looked up to him and answered with uncertainty.  
"She has been gone for… Week? Or almost. It's Sunday, right?"  
"Actually, it's Friday."  
The kid looked back down to her hands, the fingers moving again and now the girl's lips moved slightly. She was counting the days?  
"She left when it was… Tuesday. Money at least for Monday… Out… Tuesday…"  
The bells started to alarm inside Bigby's head as he listened the kid's counting. How _long_ had the mother been gone exactly?  
"I think… I think she has been away for a week and…" she counted again, just to make sure, her eyes widening, now noticing herself how long it has been.  
"Week and three days."  
The kid stared at him, panic starting to show in her eyes.

Aleine really hadn't kept track on the days, the concern for mom being away for more than three days being the first reason for Aleine to go looking for her. But as she now count the days, it had been _long time_.  
Why hadn't she looked for her sooner? Mother would never leave her for more than three days and now it was over a week when Aleine had seen her.  
A- Anything could have happened to her in this time, anything and anywhere! Where could she possible be, why hadn't she called or something, Aleine should be looking for her _right now_ , or- Or maybe she was back at home as Aleine was out here? Yeah, maybe, and now she was worried sick and looking for her as Aleine was looking for her and now- Why- She need to-  
"Hey, hey Aleine."  
Startled by the sudden touch, Aleine snarled in a low voice, her other eye changing its color and the canine teeth transforming in her mouth. Sensing the transforming she looked away from Bigby, closing the feral eye and staying still.  
Bigby had immediately moved his hand away from her shoulder when she had warned him.

Aleine was feeling panic inside.  
Again. Why is this happening _again_? She thought she could control this, this _thing_ in her, whatever made her a freak. She had practiced hard to keep it down, so not to hurt mom but for some time it had come harder and harder to contain, and mom was now missing and she need to calm down now, take deep breaths but-

Bigby wasn't sure what to do. He stared at the kid who was almost in a ball next to him, hugging herself and being all quiet.  
He could hear her heartbeats, fast and sharp like panicked bird. Her smell was mix from strong emotions, frustration, confusion, panic, anger…  
She was afraid but what exactly? Definitely for her mother's safety, but the way she kept reacting to her transformations, always covering her face or looking away…  
Was she afraid of _herself_? Or ashamed, or both, of _what_ she was?  
When you thought about everything she had said, reacted to things…  
She didn't know anything about being a Fable, didn't know any of them, calling them freaks in a scared tone. Assuring she herself was a human child and not like them, even if it was not the case.  
Bigby didn't know how to help the child with that. He, still, didn't know anything about being a half-fable. How they behaved, what powers they heritage from their fable parents and so on.  
He didn't know how the kid must feel of being something that she didn't understand, probably not having anyone to tell or support or… He was completely clueless about that.  
But then, he knew something about losing a mother.

"You know, I think you are really brave", he tried.  
The girl looked at him from behind her arms.  
"I don't think many would have gone to search. But you went, and kept this long. That's really impressive you know."  
She looked away again, but Bigby noticed her being a little be calmer. Even some mouth corner twitching up.  
Bigby smiled, feeling relieved that he had made the girl feel even if little bit better.  
"I just want to find mom", she quietly answered.  
"We'll find her, I promise."  
"You do?"  
"...Yeah. I do", he answered back with sureness, although he also knew that he couldn't promise that. And probably the girl knew too but still let it slip by.

"So… Fables", Aleine said like not knowing what else to say about it. Or maybe she just didn't know where to start. "You said you're like a story characters. I don't remember Big Bad Wolf being human in any of the stories."  
"We call it glamour. It helps us to look like humans and so keep us hidden."  
All though Bigby didn't need glamour. He was shape-sifter and being touched by magical blade that made it easier to him.  
The girl tilted her head to side, almost looking like a puppy with that confused look on her face.  
"What is glamour exactly? Do… Do I have a glamour?"  
Well, what Bigby had seen this far...  
"No. Glamour is magic that most fables have to get from witches. Fables like me and… You, we can shift our forms with our will. Although, I needed some magic in that too."  
The girl frowned, looking down at her hands. She grasped them into fists and then relaxed them.  
She seemed like she wanted to say something, as she was silent, but her face kept changing.  
"So the stories are true?" she asked instead, looking back up at him. "The Woodsman, three little pigs and Red Riding Hood, and the sheep and-"  
"Yeah, all of them true", Bigby smirked, thinking how she's gonna react that one of _those three little pigs_ was in his home. And not inside the fridge nor oven.  
"So... Are they _all_ alive, in here? In this town? Are you friends, or do you still eat them? Is there also three little blind mice, the boy who cried for the wolf and Snow White and Princess Aurora and-"  
Bigby huffed as the girl's perked spirit made also him relaxed, feeling like he had succeeded in making her forget her worries for a moment.

* * *

 **The Woodland Luxury Apartments**  
Fabletown  
Late...

In the end it hadn't been so awkward ride after all, even if the pup first had seemed to be full of fear and concern towards her mother's well-being. But she also had hope, curiousness and bravery.  
Definitely she had guts, and ability to adapt to new situations.  
She had done what had been needed, left her home's safety behind to look for her mother. She had kept going to placed that weren't familiar and even going to so called _freaks_ ' bar to demand answers.  
And not even running away when not getting friendly attitude there.  
And now... She was asking questions from him, the Big Bad Wolf, without a fear. Even Toad Jr. was still sometimes afraid of Bigby and they had known each other for sometime.  
Of course the pup still was somewhat cautious of him, just like pups should be with people they didn't really know, but she didn't show it.  
She looked straight into his eyes while listening as he explained about Fables community.

How they had become to this world, started their new lives. Which _characters_ were still alive, their government and all other basic things about them.  
And the kid listened with full attention, asking now and then about things and then letting him to continue.  
It was... Nice. Amusing.  
Not sure was Aleine taking this all to heart or did she think this was just some kind of dream or fairy tale or lie, but at least she was far more relaxed in the end of the ride.

"Bigby, you haven't still told me how are the three little pigs", Aleine said with a smile when they got out of the taxi. "Are they gone or do you still chase after them?"  
"Like I said, I don't do that anymore, chasing and eating people", wolf man said as he lit the cigar on his lips, taking a long breath. He hadn't talk this much in a long time. And he still didn't know anything about this pup.  
"Right. The Big Bad Wolf has become the Big Bad Sheriff", she smirked.  
"No, I'm not bad", Bigby denied, with some uncertainty though. "...Or I'm trying not to be."  
The pup looked at him thoughtfully, tilting her head to side. She seemed to do that when she was thinking something before saying it out loud.  
"Is there other wolves, like you?"  
"Like me?"  
"Yeah. Wolves from the Homelands."  
He thought for a moment, inhaling and puffing out smoke.  
"...I think so. I wasn't the only wolf around there when I last check. Not sure how many of them got to this side though, or where in this world they are now."  
Aleine seemed to think this hard, Bigby taking another smoke from his cigar and wondering what was going on in her head.  
"Why do you ask?"  
"For nothing", she said, but seemed still troubled.  
Bigby had a hunch why she was asking, and the girl might have a right direction, but he didn't get the opportunity to ask as the kid now stared at the gates and through them the Woodlands.  
"Is this the Woodlands?" she asked, amazed, looking up to the top of the building. "It's huge!"  
Taking another breath through cigarette Bigby huffed and walked after the running pup, opening the gates and letting her go in first. The kid was like a monkey out of the box, looking around and running here and there in the front yard. The wolf man just stood and smoked his cigarette there, keeping an eye on her with a little confuse. Was this the same kid who he had met in the Trip Trap?  
So much for the little scared pup attitude.  
A smile founds it way to him.

"Does _everybody_ live in here?" Aleine asked and hopped to stand on top of a stone, that had a plaque on that Snow had ordered there long time ago.  
`Stay off the grass!´ it ordered. _  
_...Snow didn't need to know.  
"No." Bigby answered and shed the burning cigarette a bit. "Some of us live in other parts of the city and some in other countries."  
Aleine fell silent again, then spoke.  
"...I always suspected our neighbor to be a dwarf. Like in the stories."  
"Oh?"  
"Yeah. He was _really_ short and had this long beard, almost to ground. And I swear, he wear a pointy hat!"  
Bigby laughed for that and how the kid throw her hands up after her statement, but they were interrupted as somebody walked through the opening gates. Aleine got off the stone and grass, almost taking cover behind Bigby and going all alarmed.  
It was just a Flycatcher though, who noticed the Sheriff who after all stood in the middle of the path.  
"Sheriff Bigby! Ni- Nice evening."  
"Flycatcher", the wolf man greeted back, smoking calmly.  
"Yes. Mmm", the janitor noticed the girl who was hiding behind the Sheriff, but her shyness made the awkward man also shy away. "Well, goo- Good evening. O- Or, night, Sheriff Bigby."  
Aleine looked as the man with a frog cap walked past them and into the tall building. Then Bigby turned to look at her.  
"...What?"  
"Nothing. Flycatcher is harmless", Bigby said while holding his cigar.  
The girl shrugged her shoulders, looking towards the front doors.  
Dropping and stomping the burned cigar Bigby gestured the kid come inside the building.

In the lobby, where Grimble the troll was in deep sleep, Aleine looked around again in amaze. This place was really nice, like a hotel. Or a castle! And the fact that there was fairy tales' characters, or _F_ _ables_ , in this place made it just more exciting!  
The kid looked at the sleeping security and then Bigby who ordered an elevator down for them.  
"Does he always sleep?"  
The Wolf glanced at the man, that the girl was gesturing towards.  
"Mostly."  
"...Then why he's security? Shouldn't there be like, Cerberus or some dog guarding the place?"  
The Sheriff lifted a brow, not sure was she intentionally trying to make a wolf-dog-joke here.  
But she didn't seem like it.  
"Trust me pup. You don't wanna woke Grimble", he only answered and it seemed to be enough for her.

* * *

 **Bigby's Apartment  
** Fabletown

As Bigby opened the door to his apartment, Aleine was acting cautious again.  
She peeked inside the apartment and then looked back up to Bigby as they stood there in the doorway. He waited for a moment, but she just stood there and kept looking inside.  
"...You going in?" He finally asked, crossing his arms.  
"After you."  
"There's isn't anything dangerous, you can go inside."  
"Okay."  
But she still didn't move.  
Sighing the Big Bad Wolf went instead at first, watching that the pup followed him inside before he closed the door behind them. The she again just stood there and looked at him.  
What now? Did she break or something?  
Awkwardly clearing his throat he tried to find right words.  
"You can get your shoes off and just... Be. We will deal with your situation tomorrow", the weary Sheriff grumbled, then left the kid there as he walked into a small kitchen. **Colin** came to greet, stopping Bigby at the living room.

"It's about time you got here. I have waited that you would..." the talking pig stop and stared at the child who stared back at him, eyes wide open from shock. Colin glanced to the smirking Sheriff, then said with very, very wary tone: "I know you like them sweet and all but Bigby... _This_ is too much even-"  
"Shit Colin! It's just a kid!" Bigby exclaimed before the pig would go too far. Did Colin really though Bigby liked _that_ kind of thing or was Colin just making a sick joke here?  
"It's a talking pig", Aleine whispered as she stared at the pig. "A talking. pig."  
"And you are talking kid, a miracle. And the name's Colin. And it's rude to stare", Colin remarked back.  
The girl watched now at the amused Sheriff.  
"The three little pigs are living in _your_ apartment?!"  
"Just Colin." he chuckled, going to get his drink of whiskey. These two would have some time to get over each other so he could just finely take a moment for himself.

It, or he, was a talking pig!  
Aleine couldn't believe this, still staring at the pig, or Colin, as he had introduced himself.  
Amused smile spread to her face as the pig looked like not liking to get all this attention.  
"So, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be-"  
"At the Farm?" he questioned like waiting something but the kid shook her head.  
"Shouldn't you be somewhere else than here? Or is Bigby keeping you as a hostage, for Christmas?"  
Aleine wasn't meaning anything bad nor making a joke, just really innocently asking. Maybe that's why they heard Bigby's laugh from the other end of the apartment.  
Colin rolled his eyes.  
"How nice. No, he's not keeping me here against my will. More like the other way around", he answered and headed to get some whiskey from the bad wolf. Wasn't it the cats that should be carrying things inside? Maybe Bigby was going through some identity crisis here.  
The girl followed him after taking her shoes off.  
She seemed to have gotten over the first shock as she started spitting out questions.  
"So why are you here then? And where are your brothers?"  
"Bigby owns to me", Colin answered tiredly back, not saying anything else. This kid was already feeling like a bug buzzing around his head and not going away.  
"Do you just look like a pig, or do you have this glama- Glamer-"  
"Glamour. No I don't, I'm just a pig without humanoid form."  
"Why?"  
The pig stopped, giving the kid a meaningful look.  
"...Sorry", she muttered and looked away from his gaze, but still followed as he walked to the armchair where Bigby was drinking.  
"So why is this kid-"  
"Aleine", the child corrected.  
"-Kid, here?" the pig asked and eyed at the drink that Bigby had.

Bigby thought where to start, and why not from the beginning?  
"I'm helping her to find her mother." he simply said but that wasn't enough, not for Colin.  
"And you are helping a mundy kid here because...?"  
Bigby looked at Aleine, to know that did she want to tell or not. But she seemed kinda also a bit out of what was this... Situation. She also stared at him.  
"...She's not a mundy. Entirely."  
"What do you mean? She's half-fable or something?" the pig asked jokingly, then went silence when seeing Bigby's serious look.  
Now it was _Colin's_ turn to stare at the kid in shock.  
Aleine had her glare-mode on again, not liking of that word.  
"She is?!" shocked Colin looked back to Bigby who sighed.  
He didn't know either what exactly was it! She. Her. The kid!  
"You're saying this kid is _a half-fable_? Now how does that even work?"  
"I am _not_ a freak!"  
The shout from Aleine made the whole apartment go silent, Bigby and Colin turned their full attention at the half-breed.

The girl was staring both of them furiously, one eye turning to beast like, nails sharpening and turning dark. Fur growing on her form here and there.  
"I. Am. Not a freak", she growled while showing her canine teeth, every hair on her standing up. "I am not like you, I'm a human being. So stop. Calling. Me. A freak!"  
"Nobody is saying anything that you are a freak, Aleine", Bigby tried to calm the girl down, rising from his chair.  
Colin was not sure should he say anything, for once, or duck to cover.  
When you know how Bigby would be when he got angry, you probably didn't even want to try it with Bigby Jr.

"I am not a Fable", the wolf girl kept denying with growl, hands clenching into fists.  
That gesture made her feel her sharp claws, making her to flinch and uncurl her fingers. She stared at Bigby who smelled from the pup something that he was familiar with.  
Even though he didn't show it to anyone.  
"I'm not a freak", she said silently, swallowing hard.  
"I know you aren't", the wolf man said while kneeling in front of the kid.  
Hazel eye followed him, the pup being like a scared and hurt animal in the edge of fleeing or freezing to its place.  
And Bigby didn't need around running half-fable now.  
"You know-" Bigby glanced at Colin, who stood there for a minute before getting the hint and strutting somewhere else in the apartment.  
But it was a small apartment so not accidentally listening was hard to make...  
"I feel the same way too, Aleine", Bigby started.  
Aleine blinked her outmatching eyes, her face blank as if showing any emotion would be bad thing now. But the tone of her voice was a giveaway.  
"...You do?"  
"Yeah", he confessed with small nod.  
"After all, I'm the Big _Bad_ Wolf you know? Everybody here is afraid or angry to me for one or other reason, no matter what I do as I always seem to make bad choices. Nobody is happy to what I do. So I feel like an outcast, even among of my own kind."  
That seemed to calm Aleine down, as she thought what the Big Bad Wolf had told just now.  
"You don't seem so bad as in the stories Bigby. I think you are nice", she said with a faint smile, he returning it and then lifting his other hand.  
Slowly he placed it gently on top of Aleine's head, petting her half curling brown hair.  
"Well, I'm very glad that even one is thinking like that. Thanks Aleine."

* * *

It was ones said, that everyone knows that the Big Bad Wolf lives in the Woodlands' smallest apartment, and it's not exaggerating.  
One room apartment with way too small kitchen, closet room and a tiny bathroom, that's it. So Bigby wasn't very equipped to have sudden a sleepover in his home.  
The pup hadn't complained nor said anything though, when he had said she could sleep on the two persons couch.  
Taking off her hoodie, having a gray t-shirt under it, she thanked him. And making herself comfortable the pup fell asleep on the furniture in no time. She had been more exhausted than Bigby had thought.  
Though, now Bigby didn't have a place to sleep for himself, except the hard wooden chair in front of his working table. Just damn great, he should invest to get a better couch here or something.

After showing to Aleine where she could sleep and her going to bed, Bigby drunk the rest of his first whiskey shot in the kitchen.  
Opening the freezer and noticing that he was out of ice. Again.  
"Nice" he muttered while throwing the empty ice tray back in, getting his whiskey just like that and leaned against a counter.  
Colin walked into the kitchen, and looked at the Sheriff with a sly smile.  
"You know Bigby, _I_ don't think you are that bad either... If you give me that drink."  
"Shut up", the man grumbled. "It has been a long day to me, dealing with punch of paper works and now this."  
"Yeah, she really has a temper. Like someone I know..."  
Awkward silence.  
Colin cleared his throat under Bigby's heavy gaze.  
"So, what is she really? We don't have any half-fables, not those we have seen nor heard of."  
"I don't know it either", the Sheriff confessed and was irritated by the fact. "And she also doesn't know as her mother seems to be a Mundy, and the father hasn't even been in the picture. Or at least that's what I figured out of the kid's tale."  
Although she really didn't tell much about her. He needed to fix that tomorrow.

"Yeah, it really seems to bother her. The half-breed thing I mean. She surely flipped out from that", the pig analyzed, watching closely as the whiskey glass was getting emptier and emptier.  
"Then you shouldn't hint anything to that when she's around."  
"Well, it would might help if I could have something to drink, keeping my mouth busy", the pig hinted, glancing from the drink to Bigby.  
And knowing better the Sheriff gave it to Colin, placing the glass to the floor and walking to the dark main room.  
Giving one last glance to the small sleeping figure on the sofa he sat down on the uncomfortable chair, crossing his arms and trying to get nice enough pose to sleep some.

Now if Bigby too could just have a nap, damn he needed to.


	3. And was found by the Big Bad Wolf

**Bigby's Apartment**  
Fabletown  
Morning

Bigby woke up with a fright, almost springing up to his feet with a startled growl.  
Sharp teeth bared, eyes turned into deep gold and hair growing and all instincts going wild he listened the sounds and smelled the scents in his apartment.  
Scanning for someone, intruder...  
But not noticing anyone else than Colin, who was snoring at his regular mattress.  
But Bigby continued to listen, his heart beating fast, stretching his hearing for any little sound in the apartment.  
...No. Everything was fine, it had been just a dream. No one-else was in the apartment, coming after his head to decapitate him.

With a shaky breath the Big Bad Wolf rubbed his face, wiped away light sweat from his forehead and concentrated to calm down. It worked and he returned back to his human form, while sitting back onto the wooden chair.  
...It had been just a dream, a bad one, were that freaking red-headed psycho bitch had yet again sneaked into his apartment.  
It might have been three years already, but that didn't mean that the Big Bad Wolf would easily forget that night, when he almost kicked the bucket. No. This probably wouldn't ever go away, he just had to deal with it.  
As Bigby slowly relaxed, though feeling his body stiff from sleeping on the hard chair, he noticed that something was feeling off in the air. It was _just_ him and Colin in his apartment.

"Aleine?" he called for the pup, not seeing her curled up on the sofa.  
He didn't smell her, not like she was still there as the girl's scent was weak in the air. As there was no respond the grumbling Sheriff rose up again and startled Colin with his voice. The pig woke with a snort and smacked its mouth while wondering what the wolf was up about.  
"Hey kid, are you in there?"  
Knocking on his closed bathroom's door Bigby waited for a minute, hoping that he just had a cold nose but knew it was just a hopeful thinking. He had the sharpest nose in Fabletown, or in the whole city.  
So, when there was not any kind of answer, Bigby opened the door and started to look through the tiny bedroom. The kid was not behind the shower curtains. Nor was she inside the closet room.  
"Shit", wolf man started to curse, searching a bit faster through the rest of the apartment, which wasn't much, just hoping that the kid hadn't fucking fled of.  
Colin was just standing and looking how the Big Bad Wolf looked around as he couldn't really help. He also didn't know where the girl was.  
"She just ran off?!" Bigby snarled and headed to the front door.  
When he would just get his hands on her he would-

An haughty sounding voice behind the door made him stop on his tracks.  
 _"You little brat! Stop that."  
"Let me go!"  
"Just wait till I'll give you to the Sheriff. He will-"_  
Just hearing _who_ were there Bigby immediately opened the door. Seeing always so stuck up Bluebeard standing there, and glaring down at Aleine.  
The girl was growling and trying to release herself from the aristocrat's tight hold on her neck.  
Seeing Bigby, a cocky smirk spread across Blueabeard's face.  
"Ah, mister Sheriff. I think I have something of yours her-"  
Aleine kicked the bald man's leg and made Bluebeard flinch and lift his free hand into slapping gesture.  
Bigby reacted immediately, taking iron-like a grip from the raised hand and pulling Aleine away from the haughty Fable.  
She took cover behind Bigby, holding a paper bag and glaring at the snooty lofty man. Bigby hadn't tell her there was crazy Fables around here!

...The Wolf was not covering the cold glare in his eyes, while he reluctantly let go of the baldy's hand.  
"Now, Bluebeard. What is going on?" he demanded in grave tone, crossing his arms with a glare. Bigby might be the Big Bad Wolf but even _he_ knew that hitting a kid was not a nice thing to do.  
After a little tiding up the one of the richest Fables explained calmly.  
"Nothing more than just Fabletown residents' safety, mister Sheriff. I saw this little runt-"  
"I'm not a runt!" Aleine barked, glancing angrily at the wolf man who gestured her to be silent.  
Giving a pompous glare to the brat Bluebeard continued.  
"I saw this _girl_ in our yard, trying to break in-"  
"I didn't break in", Aleine snapped again while peeking around Bigby. " _You_ let me in", she ended with a smirk cast to the baldy.  
Bluebeard was having enough of this, this _imp_ didn't have any respect towards adults!  
"I don't care who that arrogant child is, or better yet, _whose_ , but I'm trusting in you, mister Wolf, that you'll keep your cub in line. For all our sake."  
Having the last word the aristocrat walked away, his head high and acting cool. Mister Wolf was already a trouble to keep in the line, one more like him would just give more troubles to Bluebeard.  
Bigby was more baffled than impressed by Bluebeard's words. Had he... Did he hint Aleine was Bigby's child?!

Bluebeard's authorized attitude at least didn't work on Aleine, with Bigby she peeked out from the doorway and watched the baldy's going.  
"...Egghead", she muttered, and stuck her tongue out.  
Wolf man pulled her inside and closed the door behind them quickly.  
It was just nine in the morning and the kid had already got in trouble. With Bluebeard.  
And she had a small scar across her left cheek, Bigby now seeing and smelling the faint blood. The wound was fresh.  
But Aleine still had sneaked out from the apartment without his permission nor even telling or leaving a message!  
"What were you doing out there? You shouldn't go out all by yourself. And pissing off Bluebeard wasn't the smartest idea you know."  
"Well, first of", she started with reddening face. "You _never_ said I couldn't leave the apartment. I was hungry. And second, that ball head started to accuse me just like that. Like I was some fucking stray cat sniffing around his legs! Is he always that stuck up, or did just somebody screw an iron stick up to his ass?"

Bigby tried to hold in a half-laugh and a half-growl. He wasn't sure should he be still angry or laugh.  
"Fine, I'm saying it now: you will not leave this apartment or go without me anywhere _alone_. And there is food in the fridge", he said and took the paper bag from the pup, investigating what she got.  
White bread, eggs, bacon, milk and... One carrot?  
"No there isn't. I don't drink whiskey and ketchup isn't food. And those sausages in that bag will soon rise up and crawl out of there", Aleine answered while following him to the kitchen. Bigby checked up the content of his fridge.  
...Fine. She was right, this time. She still got in trouble though.  
"And where did you get this food?"  
"I didn't steal it", she said like she was accused, again, of something. Bigby could smell that she didn't tell the truth and he looked at the girl with deep scowl.  
"Aleine. If you stole this I hav-"  
"I didn't steal it!" she snapped. "I just... Asked some."  
"From who?"  
"Just some nice lady", the girl answered with raised shoulders.  
Bigby sighed, thinking what the girl meant and hoped she hadn't done something stupid.  
...No, he wasn't going to do this, not now. He would just make the damn breakfast and that's it.  
But first...

"And the scar?" he asked and the kid shrugged again, opening her mouth to-  
"And tell the truth, or you aren't gonna get food."  
"But _I_ got the food!"  
"And this is _my_ apartment."  
The girl muttered something under her breath before letting out irritated sigh.  
"Fine, the mister skin head got angry when I out smarted him."  
Bigby frowned, feeling a spike.  
"He hit you?"  
"No, slapped." the girl shrugged and not faced by it at all. "And he hits like a girl. And _I'm_ a girl."  
The joke didn't make the Wolf crack a smile, instead he looked at the pup with concern. And anger towards Bluebeard's doing.  
"You know he did wrong by hitting you?" he asked. The girl just looked at him.  
Wolf man didn't let Aleine to protest as he, after putting the bag away, started to check the wound, holding her chin in gentle but still firm manner.  
The wound was very minor one, a scratch, probably left by one of Bluebeard's rings.  
Bigby let Aleine pull away from his hold, the wolf man sighing.

"I'm fine. And I can do the breakfast", Aleine tried to get between there as the Big Bad Wolf started to hassle. He just gestured her out of the kitchen. _His_ kitchen **.**  
"Sure you can, now shoo."  
"Damn it."  
"And don't swear, okay? You are a kid, you shouldn't even know those kind of words. And don't take that damn carrot when the food is coming!"  
"This is for Colin!" she barked back and hurried out of the kitchen. Cheez! Who woke up the Big Bad Wolf from his slumber so badly?

"Getting in trouble right in the morning?" the pig teased while laying on the armchair in cozy position. Unfortunately he couldn't have come to the door when Blue there was suffering Aleine's attitude, it heard fun, but Colin really wasn't allowed to be out of the Farm so...  
He looked at the carrot that the kid was offering to him.  
"...Just a carrot? What am I, a family pet?"  
"There's also bacon?" Aleine smiled, still offering the carrot. The pig scowled half-heartedly.  
"You are just like Bigby, both of you are meat-eating monsters."  
"And I thought pigs were om- Ome- _Om_ nivores?" Aleine finally said after struggling with the hard word.  
"Yeah but we still aren't cannibals", Colin protested while munching the damn carrot. At least the kid shut her mouth to smile at him.  
She maybe was bad but she was a small, cute pup.

* * *

 **Fabletown Business Office  
** The Woodland building

After the breakfast it was time to work on Aleine's problem about her missing mother.

She looked at all the Fables who were lining up to the Business Office, where she and Bigby were heading too.  
All the Fables, they had to be Fables because she really didn't think they would let any humans into here, looked like ordinary people.  
She actually had waited to see here more Fables in their real forms, Colin being here the only one so far. And she wasn't even sure could Colin be counted in. He was _just_ a talking pig after all.  
Not like a troll, a fairy, a unicorn or- Or the giant wolf that Bigby here was suppose to be. The girl glanced up to him.  
She wanted to see real Fables with her own eyes, Bigby's true form too.  
Would he show, her if she asked?

All of the waiting Fables started to stare when the two of them showed up, Aleine walking behind the Sheriff and mister Wolf boldly just starting to walk past the line to the Office's door.  
"Is that the half-breed?" someone whispered in the line and Bigby glanced, seeing everyone staring only at Aleine who, after noticing it, took a hold on his shirt's hem.  
"She looks like ordinary Mundy to me."  
"Doesn't seem to have Glamour on."  
Bigby let the girl in first as he opened the door, closing it and the whispers and stares behind it. Looking at the silent girl he could see she was upset after hearing them. He petted her head, getting a mild sad gaze from her. Deciding not to say anything Bigby tried to offer reassuring smile as he dropped the petting hand and offered it to her.  
She took it, small hand disappearing under his closing fingers.

Aleine let Bigby lead her further into the large hall they were in. It wasn't ordinary office what she had excepted, looking all around at all the peculiar things there. It was more like a storage hall than some small office to deal official business things.  
There was a stuffed rhino's head on a wall, lot of different closets filled with stuff, old furniture, giant iron glove and-  
With wide eyes Aleine almost stopped to stare at the large tree that seemed to grow on the central of the whole room. And then she saw a flying ship that slowly sailed through the hall! How- Could she got on that, please, pretty please?!  
Then the girl noticed a hanged man on one of the tree branches, making her startle.  
...That wasn't real, right?  
She didn't want to know, concentrating now just to follow Bigby, although now and then looking around them.  
They soon arrived to a small clearing, where there was two desks with chairs, and behind one of the tables was a woman who rose when noticing them.  
The woman was really pretty, her skin beautifully pale like fresh snow, hair deep black like raven's feathers and eyes blue like clear sky. But there was something unnerving about her as she approached them with a stern face, steps quickly and lightly scowling at Bigby.  
The woman was not yelling or showing teeth, not showing clear aggression. It was the cold calmness on her that made Aleine hold tighter onto Bigby's hand. He stood relaxed though, waiting for the woman to stand in front of them.

"Bigby", **Snow White** greeted evenly, arms crossed and her gaze steady. But when she looked down at the little girl, her expression softened.  
"Snow", the Sheriff greeted back, not entirely sure what he had made wrong _this time_ but Snow White would probably tell in a minute. But now her attention was in the pup who seemed to be nervous of her.  
There wasn't any reason for that though, and Bigby tried to signal it with his casual standing and rubbing the back of Aleine's holding hand with his thumb.  
The Fable woman crouched in her skirt and smiled to the shying child.  
"Hi", she started gently. "I'm Snow White, the mayor of Fabletown. And you?"  
The girl blinked, staring at the woman before stepping a bit forward from leaning onto the Big Bad Wolf. The girl stretched her free hand towards Snow who looked at it for a moment in surprise, before handshaking with the little one.  
"I'm Aleine Bates, a human girl", she grinned and gave a stern shake to Snow's own.  
A small sense of pride sprout inside of the Wolf's chest, as he looked at the girl bravely greeting Snow White.


	4. The Big Wolf asked why the pup was alone

**Fabletown Business Office**  
The Woodland building  
Late morning

Despite of the boldness that Aleine had shown by introducing herself and shaking hands with Fabletown's mayor, she was nervous.  
Sitting on a chair tensely the girl looked from one adult to another, between miss Snow and Bigby. The adults were standing in front of her, looking at her.  
They maybe didn't try to look threatening, as miss Snow then crouched with a friendly smile and looked straight into her eyes...  
Bigby continued to stand and lean against heavy looking worktable, that had lots of paper piles on it.  
The office was a huge room, full of peculiar things that the girl had never seen before.  
The giant tree in middle of it, with a flying ship circling around through the air, were the most strange things.  
Focusing back to the two adults Aleine continued to observe them.

"So, Aleine, do you want to tell why you were wandering into the bar, where miss Holly and mister Grendel were?" miss Snow asked nicely.  
The black haired woman was a bit odd one. She acted friendly, smiled and tried clearly to make Aleine feel comfortable. But the girl had this... Sense, that the woman was hiding something. Maybe not particularly from Aleine, but it felt like there was something she was trying to keep away from the girl. Something that was in opposite of what emotion she was showing outside.  
It reminded a bit of how mom sometimes was.  
"Aleine", Bigby's gruff voice cut the girl's focus, and the child looked up to him, blinking her light brown colored eyes.

Bigby sighed inside his head.  
The pup was doing it again, staring creepily. And making Snow even more upset than she already was.  
Judging how everyone outside the office reacted to Aleine, Snow too must already know about the half-fable thing. Bigby had wished it to stay secret for some time, but guess the damaged was already done when the girl changed in the Trip Trap in front of everybody.  
Snow probably was as surprised as Bigby had been, and still was, when learning about the kid.  
"Hm?" the girl answered while focusing to him.  
Lowering his arms from laying against his chest the Wolf gestured towards Snow.  
"Answer to miss Snow's question."  
"Ah, sorry."  
"It's okay", Snow assured, keeping the smile on her face. "This... Everything must be shocking, to you."  
"About... Fables?" the girl corrected. Snow nodded.  
"Yes."  
"Well... Yeah. You aren't so scary as mom said."  
Finally the pup smiled, waving her legs a bit which couldn't touch the ground as she sat on the furniture. Snow gave a laugh and also relaxed a bit. Good.  
"Like the pig that's Bigby's roommate, he's not scary at all."  
Aaaw crap. Should have told the girl.  
Bigby looked away but still felt the quick glare that Snow gave him.  
"Well I'm happy that you are not scared of us. We really want to help you. So, do you mind telling me what happened, why did you wander to the bar?"

"Mom went missing", Aleine went straight to the problem. "She's been missing I think for a week and three days. She usually isn't away for more than three days, she said she was going to be away just for couple of days and she left some money for food."  
"Okay, calm down. Start from the very beginning. What did she say to you", Snow tried to calm the girl. It seemed to work. See? This is why Bigby liked to have Snow to deal with these... With kids. She was good with them.  
"She- She said, that she was going for a work trip, and it would take couple of days. That I must not get out of the apartment, just order through phone and then she gave me food money."  
"Don't you have school?" Snow suddenly asked. It was warm and sunny, but the summer vacation should not yet start with the Mundy kids.  
The little girl went silent for a moment, before answering, not looking straight at them.  
"Mom teaches me..."  
"Don't you have any friends? Relatives?" Snow kept asking, but the girl just shook her head.  
Bigby and Snow glanced at each other. This was odd.  
"It's just me and my mom."

...Was it because how she now and then changed without realizing it? Bigby wondered about this. Was the Mundy mother keeping Aleine at home to keep from the outside world knowing, what the child really was?  
This just produced whole lot of new questions, but the girl no doubt wasn't ready nor capable to answer everything right now. But this was alarming.  
"It's okay, lets just concentrate to your mother then", Snow got them back to the tracks, the girl seemingly happy about this.

"So, so mom gave me money, said she was out for work for couple of days and then she left."  
"What did she have with her?" the Sheriff Wolf decided to ask, watching as Aleine thought hard while not looking at either of them.  
"Mmm, coat, shirt, I- I think she had pants on."  
"Anything else? A suitcase?"  
"Yeah! She took a bag with her, the same she always uses when going to trips. A black one, with a red rabbit logo on it."  
"Did you see what was in it?"

"...No? I... I was watching, TV, when she... Was packing", Aleine answered, feeling a growing a shame, she should have paid more attention. To mom, and what she was doing. She should have, really! And now mom was missing. She should have paid more attention, she was suppose to take of mom! Why she-  
"Oh my god!"  
Aleine looked up at Snow, who stared back at her with shocked expression. Wha- What? What happened? Did she do something?

Bigby put a hand onto Snow's shoulder, steadying her, as the girl transformed. Without any warning the hair started to grow on her face, eye changed and claws grew. It was uneven transformation, half child and half half-werewolf. A bit frightening to someone who wasn't used to beast-kind of changing, he guessed. He understood that the sudden, out of nowhere coming transformation surprised Snow.  
"It's okay Aleine", he said and met the girl's confused gaze, holding it without any difficulties. "You are doing great job. Now, did anyone come to your place or call?"  
The pup was still confused, cocking her head to side, glancing back to Snow who tried to act normally and cover her reaction to the child's change.  
"Mmmm, no", Aleine answered. "Nothing. Mom or anyone else didn't call or come. So, when the money was gone and mama still hadn't called or anything, I left the apartment. I searched for her three days and saw a freak."  
"A freak?" Snow questioned.  
The girl nodded.  
"Yeah, a freak. I mean, a Fable. They had yellow, glowing eyes. I followed them to the bar and that's when everything happened. I- Everyone turned there and miss Holly told them to, um, fuck off, and she and Gren, mister Gren-"  
"Okay, okay, Aleine, it's okay" Snow tried to calm the girl who almost was hyperventilating.  
"Her name is Julia Bates, long brown hair and green eyes. Scars on right cheek and she's a human and I'm a human and I'm not suppose to turn, I'm not a freak!"

Aleine retreated into a ball as much as she could on the chair, holding her head and shaking. Not able to hold in the cries as the anxiety inside came out as tears and whimpers. She didn't want to be a freak, scaring people. She just wanted her mother back. She wanted to be with her mama and stay at home with her, just the two of them. She was sorry, she didn't mean to turn into this freak and loose her mother. She promise, she will be a good girl and not turn, she will try her hardest never ever turn into a monster that mom was scared of...

The two Fables stared at the girl.  
Bigby steps forward and crouches next to the little crying pup, placing his left hand on the top of her hair.  
The child tenses, then lets out a growl. It's tiny but still inhuman, more animal like. But also sad, Bigby knowing that sound that he used let out as a young pup to his brothers. The Wolf keeps petting calmly the girl's hair, long and slow strokes. The girl doesn't growl again, she cries in a tight ball for awhile.

"I'm sorry..." she whimpers, sniffing and Bigby can hear her heartbeat a lot more calmer. He keeps petting her, glancing to Snow who has unreadable tone in her eyes. She's watching him and the pup with something soft in her gaze, that makes Bigby feel a tug in his heart.  
Giving a small smile Snow looks at Aleine.  
"There's nothing to be sorry about, Aleine." she says. "You are a good kid. And brave. Nothing to be sorry about."

Aleine doesn't feel brave. Nor that she's a good kid. A good kid would had known where their mother was, known to start search sooner. Wouldn't turn into a- A freak.  
She feels Bigby's hand petting her, the large, warm palm stroking heavily. At first it had felt odd but after a moment it started to, well, feel calming.  
Wasn't Bigby afraid of her, like everyone else when she turns?

* * *

After the pup had calmed down, and opened from her little ball, Snow had given her some napkins to clean the tears from her face.  
Aleine was clearly embarrassed, her face red and eyes avoiding, but Bigby tried to show that there was nothing to be sorry about.  
The Sheriff Wolf went back to finding the pup's mother.  
"Now, Aleine-"  
Snow looked at him with a bit disagreement, but it was clear Aleine needed her mother. They shouldn't hem and haw anymore than necessary. Being missing over a week was never a good sign when it was about a Mundy.  
"We will help you to find your mother in any way we can, but I need you to focus and answer to any questions we have. Do you understand?"  
"Y- Yeah", the girl said, wiping one last time her face with the napkin before looking up, straight into Bigby's eyes. The wolf man smiled and stood up.  
"Good, now, let's try something. Come on."

He showed the girl **the Magic Mirror**.  
It was a big, oval shaped mirror that stood on its wooden holder.  
Aleine looked at the mirror and then Bigby, brow raised.  
"So, what is it?" she asked, looking between the two adults at either side of her.  
Before Snow or Bigby could explain, the Magic Mirror woke up, illuminating green light swirling inside it until an old man's face formed on it.  
Bigby was not ready for the reaction the little girl had, jumping against him and wrapping her arms around him.  
"He- Hey!"  
The kid didn't let go, staring the mirror and holding onto him. Bigby looked at Snow who was smiling and looked like holding in a laugh. Well, this wasn't amusing to him, he was not used to be hugged suddenly, especially by children!  
" _The Magic Mirror on the wall, you may know me as. The past and future I tell, as long as the question rhymes has."  
_ "...O- Okay. Hello. Hi."  
"He's not dangerous, at all", Bigby said, keeping still as the child kept hugging him. He was not- Good, she let go now. He could relax. Nice.  
"Magic Mirror will help us find almost anyone or anything, as long as we have a name and it rhymes", Snow explained, still humor lingering at her features, glancing now and then at embarrassed Big Bad Wolf.  
Not caring if the girl was there, Bigby needed to smoke. It was starting to get onto his nose all the smells he could detect, and not just inside the room nor inside the building.  
Taking out a cigarette and lighting it the man took a long inhale, before puffing out.

"Do you want to try to ask from him, about your mother?" the Fable woman asked.  
The girl nodded to Snow, turning then towards the Mirror.  
Taking a step closer she looked at the thing in amazement.  
"So, um, do I say the mirror mirror or-"  
 _"The tradition it is so, but the most important thing is the name to know. Do not try too hard, not everyone can be a bard."  
_ Glancing at Bigby and Snow, having a approving nods from them, the girl thought about a moment before trying.

"Mirror mirror... Please will you tell of... Julia Bates, my- I want to know her... States."  
The image in the mirror started to swirl, but not for long. Almost in a blink the face of the old man formed again, with a apologizing expression.  
 _"Although you tried, I'm sorry but the truth is hide."_  
"What?" Bigby almost snarled, glaring the Mirror which expression did not change.  
 _"Julia Bates you give me as her name, sometime that she did claim."_  
"Are you saying that's, no her real name?" Snow asked, glancing down at the girl whose face was covered by worry and confusion.  
"Wha- What does that mean, why can't the Mirror show mom?" Aleine questioned, not understanding. That was her mother's name, she knew it was.  
"Is Julia Bates your mother's real name?"  
"Yes! Or- I don't know, she, she said- It's her real name!" Aleine harped, not liking of the Mirror at all, it was lying!

"Calm down pup", Bigby ordered while puffing out. The girl didn't say anything but didn't calm down either. The signs of transformation were starting to show on her.  
"It's okay Aleine, we will keep looking for your mother", Snow said and crouched, the little girl anxious and standing still, looking with a hard glare in her eyes. "Sometimes the Mirror just can't show if there's something disturbing the magic", she tried to cover. It was good the Mirror understood not to say anything.  
"...Okay", Aleine nodded, sniffing and nodding again. "Okay."

Bigby also wasn't happy about this, looking at the Mirror in thought.  
This was getting more and more suspicious as more information was coming out. Mother who doesn't want to let out their child, disappearing at their work trip, have a new identity... It was too early to go into any conclusions, but it wasn't looking good. For the pup.

A sudden surprised whimper made Bigby turn around and see Aleine and Snow standing among the desks. The girl was staring at **Bufkin**.

Aleine stared at the green monkey that had wings, it's eyes completely black. Miss Snow had called the thing as Bigby had seemed to be in deep thinking, miss Snow steering her away to give mister Sheriff time to think. Aleine had not excepted miss Snow to call... Someone like Bufkin out.  
He was a strange looking fre- Fable, but... He looked cute.  
"Ah, excuse me then, I am Bufkin, the librarian of the Fabletown Business Office", the talking monkey proudly introduced himself and Aleine giggled in delight.  
"Hello mister Bufkin", she said and the monkey Fable smiled even wider. "My name is Aleine Bates."  
"Well, it is nice to meet you, miss Bates. So, miss Snow, how can I help you?"  
"Hello Bufkin", the mayor greeted, glancing at approaching Bigby. She actually just wanted to give Aleine something else to think about, than worry of what had happened with the Mirror, but she also had something for Bufkin to do.  
But, considering of how Aleine reacted before, Snow was not going to ask about it in front of the girl.

"Yes, Bufkin. I tell just in a moment", the Fable woman said and turned towards Bigby. "So, what are we going to do?"  
"Aleine, what did your mother do as a job?"  
"Well, um, she really didn't tell, she did all kinds of work. But, but she took me couple of times to this workplace of hers, a restaurant. **I Am The Eggman Diner**!"  
The restaurant run by a Fable named **Vulco Crow**? Was this just a coincidence, or another clue?  
"You mean the one that's on the other side of the street in front of this building?" Snow asked, the girl not sure about that. "You like that place?" she asked next, laughing a little as the girl got excited of that.  
Despite of the worries and thoughts in his head, Bigby smiled while seeing this.  
"Yeah, Vulco does the best sunny side up eggs, he's really nice and cool. Mom also likes him."

"Where do you live then, do you remember your address?" Bigby questioned, and was a bit surprised as she answered. Aleine's home was not far away from the Woodlands. Just half an hour ride by car maybe.  
Another coincidence, or not?  
"Bigby", Snow called him. "Can I talk with you, a moment?"  
"Sure", he said, shedding the burning cigar and walked with Snow a bit away from the girl and the monkey Fable.  
Aleine didn't follow, but looked curiously at them until Bufkin started talking to her. Smiling widely she spoke back to him, nodding and giggling. Good, she shouldn't get more anxious than she already was.  
The Wolf turned his attention back to Snow.  
"What do you think?" she asked directly and he thought about it in a low voice.  
"I'm not sure yet. It however seems that Julia tried to protect Aleine from other Mundies from knowing about her."  
"What about her disappearing?"  
"Hard to say, but she surely is missing. She might be dead after all this time, but it is hard to say for sure."  
"I will call around the city's morgues, if... Julia is in any of them. I'll tell Bufkin to look from the books about Half-Fables."  
Lowering cigar from his lips Bigby knew why but still wondered: "Why?"  
"Whatever her mother is still alive or not, Aleine is still a Half-Fable. She turned without noticing in front of me. If we leave her to Mundies, who knows what will happen."  
"So what will happen to her with us?"  
Bigby really wanted to know, though he was not completely sure why. But he didn't want anything bad happen to the pup. She needed someone to teach her of how being a Fable. Being a... A wolf.  
"I don't know", Snow said, hugging herself, glancing towards the girl. Aleine was touching one of Bufkin's wings, carefully and a wide smile on her face. The monkey Fable seemed very pleased of the admiration he was getting.  
"Maybe the Farm or... I don't know yet, but she can't stay at the world of Mundies. They would be scared of her and when people are scared they-"  
"Bring out the pitchforks and lighted torches? Tough nowadays they more likely bring out helicopters and rifles."  
"Bigby."  
"The evolution of humans."

"Bigby!" the girl called for him, the two adults walking to her and Bufkin. "Are we gonna go look for mom?" she asked, the wolf man glancing at Snow and then back to Aleine. "Yeah, we are", he agreed with a slight smile, dropping his cigar and with his foot crushed it against the stone floor.  
"Great, where are we going first?"

Well, Vulco probably could tell something about Julia. Maybe hint was she seeing someone or talking about something. The diner was also near. But in other hand Aleine's home was probably the best place to look for clues, if Julia left something behind there.  
So... Where to go first?


End file.
